To start the 2024 season, the Dallas Cowboys were on the road in Week 1 vs. the Cleveland Browns. Dallas had a 20-3 lead by halftime and Cleveland never recovered. The Cowboys won 33-17 to start the season 1-0. During the win, starting TE Jake Ferguson suffered a knee injury and did not return to the field.
Tests on his knee revealed that Ferguson has a bone bruise and an MCL sprain. The 25-year-old is week-to-week according to NFL insider Ian Rapoport. After the game, Cowboys QB Dak Prescott mentioned how lucky the team was that Ferguson did not suffer a serious injury. With Ferguson set to miss some time, Luke Schoonmaker will see increased playing time.
Jake Ferguson is week-to-week with a bone bruise and an MCL sprain
It’s a bone bruise and an MCL sprain for Jake Ferguson. Week to week. https://t.co/aIwPRr9k78
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 9, 2024
With a fourth-round pick in the 2022 NFL draft, the Cowboys selected TE Jake Ferguson out of Wisconsin. As a rookie, Ferguson played in 16 games for Dallas and made eight starts. He had 19 catches for 174 yards and two touchdowns that season. Last year was his breakout season with the Cowboys. Ferguson played in all 17 games and made 16 starts. The former fourth-round pick had 71 receptions for 761 yards and five touchdowns. A massive improvement from his rookie campaign. In 2023, CeeDee Lamb led the NFL and Cowboys with the most catches. The second on the team last year in receptions was Jake Ferguson.
Heading into year three, Ferguson was the unquestioned starter for the Cowboys. It was a slow game for the TE in Week 1 with three catches for 15 yards. That’s also because Ferguson got hurt in the second half with a knee injury. Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reported that Ferguson has a bone bruise and an MCL sprain. Initially, it looked like a long-term injury for Ferguson but the team said he is considered week-to-week. With Ferguson’s injury, the Cowboys will call upon Luke Schoonmaker to step up and start at TE. Schoonmaker was a second-round pick by the team in 2023 out of Michigan. He played in all 17 games for Dallas last season and made zero starts.